Contributed by: LumpycustardLumpycustard(others by this writer | submit your own)Published on December 31st 2002"Ikara Colt exist because 99.9 percent of everything else is shit and getting shittier." -www.epitaph.com
Based on claims like this one, and several others I've read in a variety of both mainstream and independent publications, (either web or print) I thought this record was going to be about as .

Based on claims like this one, and several others I've read in a variety of both mainstream and independent publications, (either web or print) I thought this record was going to be about as brilliant as the second coming of Christ himself. (whenever that may be)

What I got however was nothing but a steaming pile of mediocrity, smelling very similar to the recent heap of "minimalist-garage-retro-revivalist-rock" acts that have been plundering the radiowaves for the past year or so.

I'll make this short and sweet. If you're currenly a fan of either The Strokes, The Hives, Division of Laura Lee or The White Stripes for that matter, you may very well find this record an aural delight. If however, (like me) you feel like you'll puke if you have to hear another "we use vocal distortion on every last song and play our instruments badly" copycat of a band, steer clear of this record.

In conclusion I'll try my best to actually describe this record. (seems all I've done so far is express my utter disdain that this record was ever pressed.) Vocal distortion a-la "insert horrible garage band of choice here" smothered in a wall of compressed, undynamic guitar work,combined with old school punk beats and horrible basement production. Also, they're from L.A. and sound British. Bad, bad music... Wait did I say 'music'?...

This record scores a 2. And the only reason I'm giving it that much is because I was able to use the stickers from the CD cover to keep the battery in my T.V. remote from falling out. Also, the disc protects my new coffee table from those nasty beverage stains.

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Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not respon
sible for them in any way. Seriously.

Anonymous (April 23, 2004)

Man, it's weird reading all this negativity about the band. After hearing the record and reading a few interviews, I personally think Ikara Colt is the real deal. I don't know...maybe I'm projecting my own hopes onto the current punk scene, but I thought this album oozed honesty, and I like that. Didn't seem too mall punk to me, but then again - I don't go to malls and don't know what the pseudo-punks like. The songs do sorta all blend together, but I like the sound.

HAha this band is worse than Bad lettuce with goat cheese and still manages to gain so followers.

Anonymous (January 9, 2003)

"Funny ... I never remember ANY of the Sex Pistols sporting a mohawk or Liberty spikes or anything like that."

They didnt have mohawks, or Liberty spikes, but they started it anyway because the British scene was the first to adopt that look and Rotten, who was in the first British punk band (the Saints were in Australia at this time), had spikes and was, regardless of what Richard Hell says, the first to do so. Therefore, you are a moron. And to the guy who said that I diminished the Ramones' legacy, thats not what I meant. I meant that they would have had a much shorter career had the Sex Pistols not come along and popularized it (inadvertantly). The Ramones S/T and Rocket to Russia were not huge sellers, and when kids saw that the Sex Pistols and the Ramones were in the same genre, they started checking out more Ramones albums, probably the reason why they still issue their LPs to this day.

Anonymous (January 9, 2003)

"Just look at all the bands and their followers that have mohawks or spikes. Without the Sex Pistols, there would've been none of that."

Funny ... I never remember ANY of the Sex Pistols sporting a mohawk or Liberty spikes or anything like that.

"The Ramones? They would've been some quickly-forgoten hard-rock band had it not been for UK Punk popularizing the scene all over the world and getting them more attention."

whoa, the sex pistols did popularize "punk", but how does that in any way diminish the impact or relevance of the ramones? the ramones were far from being just another hardrock band, what they were doing (BEFORE the pistols i might add) was revolutionary at that point in time.

don't get me wrong, i love the sex pistols, but if i had to pick between who started it and who popularized it, i would go with who started it.

Anonymous (January 8, 2003)

The only reason people slag the Pistols is because they started the whole style and stage movements of punk. It doesnt matter what you THINK. Its a proven fact. Just look at all the bands and their followers that have mohawks or spikes. Without the Sex Pistols, there would've been none of that. Sid invinted the pogo too. The Ramones? They would've been some quickly-forgoten hard-rock band had it not been for UK Punk popularizing the scene all over the world and getting them more attention.

Anonymous (January 7, 2003)

A lot of people grew out of punk in the 80s. Even some of the more "hardcore" types like the slc guys ended up just giving it up. Of course a lot of the mtv punk kids will grow out of it too, but that's because they just think it's Blink182, NFG, and SUM41 and a fashion.

Just ta' clear the air, I didn't say that Ikara Colt 'sounds' like the Hives, DOLL, etc. I simply stated that, "If you were a fan, you may enjoy this record." I based this comment on the fact that out of 10 different people I let listen to this record (All big fans of The Hives, DOLL, etc.) 7 of em' said they enjoyed this record right off the bat. Another one listened to it for a week and then decided that he too liked the record. Really the only thing these bands have in common is their 'less is more production values', and vocal distortion smothers all of the aforementioned bands' records.

Anonymous (January 6, 2003)

Chances are, if they are mall punks they're gonna end up being lawyers, doctors, or insurance scam artists anyway. I mean, if they are a mall punk, chances are they don't have many "ideals" anyway. Thats why it was so easy for Stevo to give up anarchy and get into the system. The funniest thing is how he endlessly slags Britain, but British punk band the Sex Pistols started the whole relationship between anarchy and punk rock. I mean, I doubt he listened to MC5. He also slags off Britain and has the logo for a British band on his van, PiL. The whole movie was actually against punks, trying to make it look like they are all mindless spikey-haired drones. Wait - maybe that's true.

Anonymous (January 6, 2003)

the funny thing about slc punk is that stevo totally cops out at the end of the movie and becomes a lawyer. that movie shoulda tried to teach mallpunks that they can do something with their lives, still keep their ideals and still be "punk". instead they have him selling out and becoming a practitioner of one of the worst things you can become: a lier i mean lawyer.

Anonymous (January 6, 2003)

"prefab boy band? yeah right, i could really see n'sync pissing on the crowd, getting into fights with the audience, and shooting heroin before their shows. they were manipulated."
haha. thats exactly the type of response i was trying to get. theres the problem with message board type things. everythings taken at face value and no punches are pulled. stupid waste of time. im leaving

Anonymous (January 6, 2003)

this has been my favorite album of 2002. it's like sex pistol and old sonic youth that sounds like 2002! i totally loved it.

and i don't think it sounds like the rock n roll crap a la hives and other shits.

Maybe it's just me, but after listening to this record (along with the strokes, the white stripes, the hives, and most of the other bands in that group) I would have to say that NONE of those albums sound even relatively alike. Production is the only similarity and even that isn't close enough to say they all sound the same. I don't like this band or this review(er) and think that both should be beaten, put in a sack, and thrown into a body of water (to drown like kittens).

Anonymous (January 6, 2003)

The Damned were a band before the Sex Pistols, but weren't a punk band until they saw the Sex Pistols.

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

Let me amend my below statement. I didn't mean for it to look like the Damned WERE Eddy and the Hotrods. They just basically sounded like them.

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

"i mean goddamnit read please kill me"

'Please Kill Me' is a good book, but only for the American punk bands' stories (which is what it is almost totally about), but the parts about the Clash and the Sex Pistols only have the MANAGERS' sides of the story! So, unless you trust the managers of bands more than the actual band members, don't take what fucking Malcom McClaren says seriously. Claims that he was trying to create a political punk band are totally untrue, because he was actually trying to create competitors for the Bay City Rollers. Even if you did read it, you'd know that Dee Dee and Sid got along pretty well... And to the guy who said that the Damned were around before the Sex Pistols... They were, but only as a PUB ROCK band (Eddie and the Hot Rods). They ripped off the Sex Pistols and got successful off of the "inept" sound.

TO ANYBODY THAT LIKES EVEN ONE POLITICAL PUNK BAND: You have to at least RESPECT the Sex Pistols. They were the first POLITICAL punk band, and they set the standards for what political punk came to be.

the sex pistols were great, i don't care what anyone says. one of the most influential punk bands ever, there's no denying that. call them manufactured all you want, these guys were fucking originals, nobody played the music they were playing at the time. no, they weren't the first punk band but i would venture to say that (along with the ramones) their sound and attitude became the foundation of punk. and a prefab boy band? yeah right, i could really see n'sync pissing on the crowd, getting into fights with the audience, and shooting heroin before their shows. they were manipulated.

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

epitaph makes me sick now'a'days... maybe everyone that works for the label and their families and all the bands on the label will go shoot themselves in their faces

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

were the damned really before the sex pistols?

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

Excuse me but weren't the Damned, the Stooges, MC5, Ramones, Velvet Underground BEFORE the Sex Pistols?! Yes they were, not that it really matters. The Sex Pistols (to me atleast) released SOME good songs, but they definitely are FAR from my top ten list of bands.

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

does anyone here read? the sex pistols were a prefab boy band. bone up on your history young punks. so yeah, they werent the originals and they werent the best but whatever who cares

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

poeple make fun of the sex istols cause there fakers much like the hives but at least the sex pistols started out slightly sincre. i mean goddamnit read please kill me...oh yea the hives ripped off some stooges songs that's prolly why they remind that guy of them asshole....man you guys are all lame...this album is just an album at least its trying to be different give us some new grooves who cares if it sucks someones bound to liek it!...yea i do think its boring...only cause i can pay attention past 1:30 ......if ikara colt ever reads this please make shorter songs. goodnight.

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

what are you talking about? epitaph sucked four years ago. they're just starting to get good now. theyve got turbonegro, dilenger escape plan, ikara colt, and epitaphs other labels had refused, noise conspiracy, tom waits,nick cave, tricky, and countless others. you "punks" are stuck in the seventies, what happened to progression? these are todays punks.

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

No idea, a punk label?

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

The funny thing is all these fake punks who say they love Black Flag and then diss the Sex Pistols. It's so funny when people see SLCPunk! and think they have to act like Stevo to like punk rock. It's also funny when people assume that all Sex Pistols fans walk around saying "Anarchy in the UK!". And this band sucks.

Anonymous (January 5, 2003)

I'm really beginning to dislike Epitaph. I used to think they were the best punk label. That of course was like 4 years ago. When it comes to punk I say listen to No Idea and Dirtnap.

Anonymous (January 4, 2003)

this albums actually been out for a while. almost a year. this is just the north american release. i guess we north americans are too stupid to get the earlier. how come if music isnt fast "punks" dont like it. black flag was pretty slow during the rollins years and still ruled

Anonymous (January 4, 2003)

all the comments about this album, which is average at best, and black flag, and the stooges, and the hives bah screw it. everyone who made any of the comments on here is stupid.

"This is what happens when labels stop caring about the music and their fans and focus on "moving units." "

funny that you say that...moving units is the name of the band that could be grouped very loosely with the rest of these.

Anonymous (January 2, 2003)

I dont see how the Hives could remind anybody of the Stooges. What made the Stooges so great was their uncontrollable intensity and Iggy's pure insanity. I'd say Rollins era Flag is the closest thing to THe Stooges.

Anonymous (January 2, 2003)

I like the Hives. They remind me of Iggy and the Stooges. This band sucks though.

Anonymous (January 2, 2003)

the plural noun bands were lumped together to make "return of the rock" articles possible.

i like the white stripes.

but the ikara colt record probably does suck. most good bands don't just fly out of the ether into super stardom.

Anonymous (January 1, 2003)

I don't personally judge bands by what label they're on, but I'm not going to fight against that. If you don't like Courtney Love, don't buy her record. I know I'm not gonna. I just think the dude who said "maybe the white stripes, the hives, and the strokes sound nothing alike, but they come from the same ilk" is idiotic. Sure, they come from the same "ilk". That would be rock'n'roll. Every band on this site comes from the same "ilk" (supposedly). Or did I miss something?

Anonymous (January 1, 2003)

Fuck yeah, the white stripes are awesome. It's basically garage blues rock. They have acoustic songs, pianos and other instruments, all sorts of shit and it's done really well. Don't compare them to the strokes or the fucking hives just because people group them together, they're far better than any of those bands. That band is way better quality than shitty radio ready pop-punk.

Anonymous (January 1, 2003)

Ok, the rock revival bullshit is stupid. But the White Stripes are a really good band. Regardless of all the shitty hype you hear about them, they write good music.

Anonymous (January 1, 2003)

"The Strokes, The Hives, Division of Laura Lee or The White Stripes" are as pop as Blink or Sum41.

Anonymous (January 1, 2003)

This is what happens when labels stop caring about the music and their fans and focus on "moving units." Although it is true that the Hives, The Strokes and The White Stripes sound nothing alike, they are all of the same ilk. They're bands that may not be that good, but fuck, the kids are buying them up like it's their job. Epitaph no longer cares about their fans. Face it. Right now Mr. Brett is trying to sign Courtney Love to his label, not because she's talented but because it will bring more publicity to Epitaph and she will sell a ton of records. How cool is that? It makes me feel dirty for buying gear from Epitaph. We're just throwing a proverbial Duraflame on the hype machine.

Perhaps I oughta change my name to "Shite narrow minded reviewer". I get a kick out of how personal people take it when you don't like the bands they do. It's a review, lighten the hell up. Heck, I think anybody that actually likes this record is either tone deaf, or enjoys the musical equivalent of eating glass. But I don't think I put that in my review. I guess it was my narrow mindedness that kept this piece of trash in my CD player for a week and a half trying to find some aspect to appreciate before I reviewed it...

Also, as far as the "Being fr. L.A." part goes, I simply worded it wrong. I meant to say They're an L.A. Based British Band. I wasn't taking a shot at them for pretending to be British, I KNOW they're really British. My bad for not re-reading it enough before hand.

Now if you'll s'cuse me folks, I think I'm going to go bathe in the piles and piles of pop-punk records I own.

Anonymous (December 31, 2002)

How do you know he/they are pop punk people? Just because they don't like one kind of music doesn't mean they like another.

Anonymous (December 31, 2002)

wow lame pop punk people abound here. as a rule of thumb if you ever say the words "sounds like the hives, the strokes and white stripes" you know absolutely nothing about music and shouldnt be allowed to do reviews where people will see them. B to the album F- and a kick to the teeth for the reviewer

Anonymous (December 31, 2002)

Anyone notice how the Hives, the Strokes, the Mooney Suzuki, the Division of Laura Lee (okay they sound a little like the Strokes), the Intertnaional Noise Consipiracy and the White Stripes sound very very little alike? Just thought I'd mention it.

Also, on Ikira Colt, I saw them play with Sunshine, Division of Laura Lee, Dillinger Escape Plan and T(I)NC, and they were by far the low point of the show. Every other band was amazing, and they just... weren't. Mediocre at best.

Anonymous (December 31, 2002)

FOR FUCK SAKE!

Do you people know anything? Ikara Colt aren't from fuckin L.A they're 100% BRITISH!!! and secondly what a SHITE narrow minded review.

Ikara Colt are an amazing noisy art punk act, influenced by the likes of joy division, pixies, sonic youth etc.. Saying "Blah blah blah if you like the strokes and white stripes you'll like ikara colt" is just bullshit. I've seen the strokes the white stripes and many other sound-alikes live, and none of them live up to the vicious intensity and passion ikara colt show on stage. Chat and Business is raw as hell, but why/how they are signed to epitaph i do not know.

Anonymous (December 31, 2002)

i thought they were from britain. thats what i heard anyway. ehhh maybe im retarded.